(S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL: A DEEP DIVE

Historical Development

Looking at the history of (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol tells a bigger story about how science picks apart molecules and puts them to work in new ways. Ever since beta-blockers entered the pharmaceutical limelight, chemists have been hunting for chiral building blocks that bring precision and predictability to synthesis. Once researchers isolated the (S)-enantiomer, it opened the door to more selective drug designs, especially for compounds needing clearer separation of therapeutic effect from side effects. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and advances in asymmetric synthesis both played a role in enabling the robust production of chiral molecules like this one. Over time, the chemical community dug in, searching for production methods that crank out high-purity ingredients at relevant scales, without fouling up with unnecessary complexity or waste.

Product Overview

(S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol is not just another reagent on the shelf; it pulls its weight in pharmaceutical chemistry and fine chemical manufacturing. The defining touch is its chiral center, which brings lots of value in crafting enantioselective drugs with a more targeted reach in the body. It comes as a colorless to pale yellow liquid or crystalline solid and responds well to varied lab and industrial conditions. In practice, I’ve seen how chemists lean on materials like this for making beta-blocker intermediates, but the story doesn’t stop there. It also becomes a stepping stone for engineers exploring new catalysts and specialty surfactants. The chemical has proven comfortable in organic synthesis settings, where seeing both repeatable results and pure starting points matters.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Getting hands-on with (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol reveals plenty about its behavior. Its molecular formula is C7H17NO2, and it weighs in at around 147.22 g/mol. This compound keeps its shape under standard room conditions, and users see high solubility in water and common polar solvents, which streamlines both handling and post-synthesis cleanup. The tertiary butylamino side group stands out, giving the molecule resistance to quick degradation, but still allowing it to participate in ring-opening and substitution reactions that feed into drug development projects. The two hydroxyl groups are quite reactive and make selective derivatization possible by playing with hydrogen bonding networks or subtle tweaks to pH. Each batch should fall within a tight melting point range—this is key for anyone tracking purity for regulatory or performance needs.

Technical Specifications & Labeling

In regulated laboratories and manufacturing lines, technical data sheets rule the day. For (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol, the label layout includes CAS number, stated optical rotation, purity above 98% (often measured by chiral HPLC), water content, and clear batch information. Chemical suppliers spell out storage suggestions—usually at ambient or slightly cool temperatures, away from sunlight and moisture. I’ve seen the focus on traceability rise over the years, as supply chain problems have put more eyes on source documentation. Labels now feature hazard pictograms according to GHS, and the best practices call for layers of documentation trailing each bottle or drum down the supply chain. In the lab, beyond just the sticker, teams keep certificate records for each lot on hand, ready for any audit or supplier query that comes up.

Preparation Method

Manufacturing this chiral propanediol stands on the backbone of asymmetric synthesis. The bulk of industrial supply depends on enantioselective aminolysis or reductive amination, catalyzed by precious metals or engineered enzymes. Early routes relied mostly on resolution of racemic mixtures, but the waste and low yields drove change. Today, more workhorses start from epichlorohydrin and react it with tert-butylamine, followed by careful isolation of the (S)-enantiomer using chiral auxiliaries or clever catalyst choices. Reactions run at mild temperatures, and most plants have shifted from small batches to continuous flow systems, which makes batch-to-batch consistency easier. Process engineers spend late nights shaving off solvent use and slashing by-product formation, both for cost and to meet environmental codes.

Chemical Reactions & Modifications

(S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol is more than a static reagent; its functionality allows for a wide range of transformations. Both hydroxyl moieties invite acylation or alkylation, serving up new intermediates for drug synthesis. Its secondary amine participates in reductive amination and N-alkylation, creating analogues for pharmaceutical leads. Chemists also exploit selective protection-deprotection chemistry, modifying one functional group while temporarily masking another, which comes in handy when synthesizing complex molecules. The core propanediol structure brings flexibility, acting as either a nucleophile or electrophile, tailoring itself for further chemical expansion. In peptide chemistry, stereoselective substitutions here have led to progress in chiral ligand libraries and asymmetric synthesis paths.

Synonyms & Product Names

You may see this compound under various names depending on the supplier or research context. Besides (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol, vendors and scientists refer to it as (S)-t-butylamino-1,2-propanediol or (S)-t-BAP, and in some documentation, you'll notice the systematic IUPAC name, (2S)-3-(tert-butylamino)-1,2-propanediol. Generic labeling can sometimes muddy the water during procurement, especially when regional differences crop up in regulatory paperwork. Staying close to CAS number and chirality code clears up most confusion on this front.

Safety & Operational Standards

Handling (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol demands respect for both user safety and environmental impact. Even though acute toxicity is not as pronounced as for some of its downstream products, gloves, goggles, and fume hoods remain basic tools for anyone in contact with liquid or powdered forms. SDS documentation describes the risks of skin and eye irritation, possible impacts if swallowed, and recommended spill or exposure response. Industrial plants line up their PPE protocols around the material’s toxicity and flammability ratings, and every move gets logged, especially in pharmaceutical environments governed by cGMP. Discharge of wastewater from synthesis or cleaning steps has to meet local water safety laws; plant managers track pH, organic carbon, and solvent residue before releasing anything down the pipe. After a close call with a leaking drum years ago, I've seen firsthand how on-the-ground training for spills or exposure makes a bigger difference than just posting warning signs.

Application Area

This propanediol derivative fills distinct lanes in both pharmaceutical synthesis and advanced material science. In beta-blocker research, it’s a core building block for molecules like propranolol, where structural chirality strongly influences both efficacy and metabolism in patients. The scale of deployment in drug manufacturing brings scrutiny from regulatory agencies, which means manufacturers work under close oversight. Beyond just pharmaceuticals, specialized surfactants and emulsifiers utilize its chiral backbone to push new boundaries in formulation science. Research teams turn to it in creating ligands for catalytic asymmetric reactions, stretching its use far beyond just drug pipelines. Over the years, as personalized medicine has taken off, the need for well-defined chiral intermediates has only gotten sharper, pushing demand for compounds with this kind of specificity.

Research & Development

(S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol keeps drawing researchers into new projects, both in academic and commercial labs. Ongoing efforts focus on reducing waste from the synthetic process and shifting to greener catalysts and solvents, aiming to hit both performance and sustainability goals. The hunt for more selective transformations means chemists are testing enzyme variants or developing low-waste, continuous flow reactors that can be tuned in real time. Work in analytical chemistry has sharpened quality control, especially for enantiopurity and contamination. Interest in peptide coupling and green chiral synthesis is bringing more funding to labs exploring less toxic reagents. As supply chains for pharma have grown global, R&D teams take a broader view, matching up logistics with technical requirements to avoid delays or out-of-spec batches.

Toxicity Research

Toxicological data for (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol show low acute oral and dermal toxicity, yet comprehensive, long-term studies remain thin. As with many synthetic intermediates, most available safety results stem from animal testing and cell culture exposure. Oral LD50 values hover comfortably above levels demanding concern for trace impurities in finished drugs, putting the spotlight on process contaminants and their control. Respiratory and ocular irritation data drive current PPE standards, especially for production-line operators. Environmental toxicity, particularly in water systems, is drawing more research now that regulatory bodies push harder on chemical effluent standards. Lab-scale trace analysis after accidents or spills suggest a moderate environmental impact, but regulatory authorities generally demand more systemic testing for any intermediate broadly used in pharma manufacturing.

Future Prospects

Outlook for (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol looks promising, especially as chiral synthesis and precision medicine drive up demand for well-characterized intermediates. Growing emphasis on sustainability is steering attention toward biocatalysts and solvent-free methods, both for environmental and cost reasons. This compound’s track record in supporting development of next-generation beta-blockers, chiral catalysts, and specialty materials suggests it will keep its relevance in the years ahead. As more regions set tighter regulatory bars for chiral drugs and green chemistry, both academic and industry teams will keep experimenting with process tweaks to hit new standards without sacrificing quality or throughput. Industry insiders watch for smarter automation and supply chain transparency, which could make ordering and tracking products like this less of a guessing game as compliance demands rise. The legacy of this chiral propanediol, from the lab bench to full-scale manufacturing, will keep growing, shaped by tightening regulations, advancing science, and rising expectations for both safety and sustainability.



What is (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL used for?

A Key Ingredient with Deep Purpose

(S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL pops up in the ingredient lists of drug patents and scientific journals more than most folks realize. This compound, though it sounds intimidating, plays a specific part in helping people manage their health. Plenty of personal stories show just how much impact one chemical can have, especially when you or someone you love depends on heart medication.

Building Block in Beta Blockers

This compound makes its biggest mark as a building block for beta blockers. Beta blockers join a long list of medications that tackle heart problems such as high blood pressure and chest pain. I've watched people in my family struggle with hypertension, and it's those small pills—often brown or blue—that let folks get back to everyday living. The backbone of these medications often relies on chemicals like (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL due to its unique amine and diol structure. Drug chemists found this compound useful when they started building molecules that help regulate the heart’s workload, calm excessive heart rhythms, and ease the pressure on arteries. Propranolol and atenolol both trace back to a chemical family that includes our topic compound.

Precision Matters in Drug Synthesis

The (S)-enantiomer in its name signals precision. In medicine, the right orientation of a molecule decides if it will help or just hang around without doing much. Getting the S-form right lets the rest of the drug fit like a hand in a glove inside our bodies. This exact fit explains why certain blood-pressure medicines work smoothly, causing fewer side effects. It cuts down the amount of the drug that lingers and triggers reactions we’d all rather avoid.

Why Consistency and Purity Drive Safety

Most labs worldwide have strict rules about sourcing (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL. Even the smallest contaminant can create risk. My time working with pharmacy teams has shown me how every bottle—big or small—must meet exacting benchmarks. Skipping quality checks only invites trouble. This attention to purity even spills over into legal disputes, as companies race to guard patents and prove that their way of making the compound delivers the safest final pill.

Room for Better Access and Research

The downside? Many lifesaving medications stay expensive or out of reach in some parts of the world. The cost of raw materials like (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL influences the final price. Open science initiatives, sharing safer and cheaper methods for manufacturing, hold promise. University-based researchers in India and China have started publishing routes that cut down waste and lower costs, opening the doors for generic manufacturers. This approach helps hospitals cut bills and puts medication within reach for more patients.

Looking Forward with Responsibility

Creating and controlling compounds like (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL means more than chemistry homework. Lives depend on the work that happens in sterile labs and on careful ethical choices. Support for skilled technical training, tighter global safety standards, and government investment in public production facilities forms the foundation for better, safer drugs built from this compound. The next time a doctor prescribes a beta blocker, most folks won’t think twice about the careful dance of molecules and scientists that put that pill in their hand. It matters more than many realize.

What is the chemical formula and molecular weight of (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL?

Looking at the Formula

(S)-3-tert-Butylamino-1,2-propanediol carries a pretty straightforward chemical formula: C7H17NO2. This formula might look like alphabet soup at first, but those symbols and numbers pack lots of valuable information. Seven carbon atoms, seventeen hydrogens, a single nitrogen, and two oxygens lay out the foundation for a small but meaningful molecule. Organic chemistry classes drill these kinds of formulas deep into memory, and for good reason. Structure affects everything—from behavior in the lab to medical action in the clinic.

Molecular Weight: Numbers Matter in the Lab

Anyone who’s weighed out a powder on an analytical balance knows the truth: small slips make a big difference, especially at a fine scale. The molecular weight for (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol measures out to 147.22 g/mol. Precision isn’t just a badge of honor among chemists. It shapes reactions, dosages, and safety. I remember prepping buffer solutions as an undergrad and double-checking calculations for weight every time, because a few milligrams off meant wasted materials or a failed reaction. Molecular weight becomes a real anchor—something to hold onto when everything else seems abstract.

Chirality: Not Just for Show

The (S)- prefix isn’t window dressing. Chirality has a massive impact, especially in medicinals and biochemistry. Many folks outside the chemical sciences overlook this, but only one enantiomer might work as intended in the human body. The wrong twist can cause a biological dead end—or worse, side effects. Anyone working in pharmacology or biocatalysis meets this issue head-on. The thalidomide disaster back in the 20th century stands out as a permanent warning. Here, making sure “(S)-” sits in front of the name steers research in the right direction.

Applications: Beyond the Bench

The structure of (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol lines up with a lot of potential uses. Its backbone pops up in beta-blockers, which have a big job reducing blood pressure and taking stress off the heart. That tert-butyl group, next to the aminopropanediol skeleton, helps dial in selectivity and function. Chemical manufacturers in the pharmaceutical space lean on intermediates like this one to streamline synthesis and cut unwanted byproducts. Every extra carbon or functional group adds a layer of selectivity, and this is how medicines find their sweet spot in a busy molecular marketplace.

Making Sense of Safety and Scale

Safety never takes a backseat in the lab or on the manufacturing floor. Knowing the formula and molecular mass means more than satisfying curiosity—it informs the safety sheets, the storage conditions, and even disposal. I’ve seen first-hand how the right numbers help safety officers and technicians avoid skin or respiratory exposure to fine organics, especially those with amine groups or reactive alcohols. Scale-up from bench to pilot plant often hinges on basics: get those calculations right, and the risks go down.

Looking Toward Solutions

Manufacturing efficiency and environmental responsibility intertwine. As green chemistry standards grow stricter, synthetic methods for compounds like (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol need some fine tuning. Companies seek catalysts and processes that cut down on waste and energy use. There’s plenty of room for smart minds to develop asymmetric synthesis routes, cut reliance on toxic reagents, and push yields higher. Every improvement eventually shows up in lower drug costs and better safety for everyone from bench chemists to patients.

How should (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL be stored?

Understanding the Compound’s Quirks

Working in labs puts you face to face with a variety of chemicals, and each demands a bit of respect if you value both your research and your health. (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL sits among those specialty chemicals that respond poorly to careless handling. It comes with a reputation for being sensitive to moisture. Even brief lapses can trigger degradation or safety risks, especially for those aiming to keep purity levels steady.

Environment Makes All the Difference

In practice, storage conditions shape how this compound behaves over time. Cool, dry spaces create a buffer against breakdown. Common sense says that high humidity rooms or busy open benches lead to trouble. Excess moisture in the air often ends up compromising the chemical structure. A tight-sealing, screw-capped container gives you an obvious way to slow down reactions with water vapor.

Temperature control works hand in hand with moisture exclusion. Many specialty molecules react strongly to heat; cool shelves, not freezing ones, do the job better. Long stints in fluctuating temperatures—think refrigerators with doors that open all day—invite instability. Instead of trusting luck, set up dedicated refrigeration that runs at a consistent temperature and label the shelf clearly. Colleagues in my old organic chemistry group learned this the hard way one summer, wasting a week’s work because compounds sat near a failing air conditioner.

Original Packaging Matters

Many suppliers ship this compound in amber glass bottles, signaling a risk from light as well as air. Overexposure to light sometimes hastens chemical change, likely reducing assay value for research purposes. My own habit: keep bottles inside dark cabinets and only remove for brief weighing or sample prep. Avoid decanting into unmarked vials—there’s always someone who mistakes a clear bottle for water, and confusion with any amine-containing solution risks a safety incident.

Practical Safety Steps

Good chemical hygiene asks for more than just routine storage. Safety data sheets lay out recommended PPE, but real safety comes from taking those standards as a minimum, not a goal. Nitrile gloves, goggles, and closed-toe shoes fit the baseline. Spilled droplets still stink up a workspace and, in rare cases, raise allergy symptoms. Eye wash and spill kits need to be nearby, never collecting dust behind the bench clutter.

Inventory management builds another layer of protection. Outdated or poorly labeled reagents become a liability over time. Set up a check-in system that tracks who opened which bottle, and make sure all labeling stays legible. This keeps samples fresh and also streamlines any emergency clean-up.

Why Storage Guidelines Aren’t Just Rules

Real experience—watching experiments fail or seeing colleagues affected by minor incidents—drives home how important it feels to get storage right. A well-organized chemical shelf saves time, money, and sometimes embarrassment. Labs lose valuable data every year because staff skip the basic step of checking storage guidelines for specialty reagents such as (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL.

Solutions for Cleaner, Safer Workspaces

Investing in desiccators and temperature alarms works out cheaper than replacing ruined chemicals or apologizing for botched results. Share responsibility—everyone benefits when each person takes ownership of chemical safety, not just the principal investigator. If regulations shift, update protocols and communicate changes early. Peer review of storage areas once a month has helped cut errors in the institutions where I’ve worked.

The payoff comes quietly: high-quality data, safe researchers, steady progress. Reliable storage habits matter far more than fancy instrumentation or cutting-edge starting material. In the end, a minute spent on careful storage saves weeks down the road.

Is (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL hazardous or does it require special handling?

Getting Familiar with the Substance

Diving into chemical safety takes more than memorizing facts. Experience around labs and industrial plants taught me how workers relate to labels, signals, and the behavior of a substance. (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL, related to common beta-blockers, pops up in pharma development and some research settings. It goes by obscure names and doesn’t show up on every shelf, but its structure demands a second look.

Hazards You Won’t Want to Overlook

Anyone who has spent time with chemicals will tell you: a bland appearance never tells the whole story. I have worked with compounds in tidy, crystalline forms that left burns or toxic headaches after breezy handling. This compound belongs to a class that can give off hazardous dusts capable of irritating the airway and skin. Its amine group hints at some basicity, which can amplify irritation. If sweat or moisture gets involved, the danger compounds—not in a theoretical way, but in the real sense of itchy skin or runny nose and eyes.

Handling protocols in reputable research facilities show that personal protective equipment isn’t just window dressing. Gloves, eye protection, and lab coats make a difference. Respirators become relevant for those working above gram scale, especially if the ventilation can’t outpace dust generation. That’s not just a textbook precaution. I once watched a technician abandon a fume hood for speed’s sake, only to develop a nasty rash that stuck around for weeks.

Accidental Exposure: Not a Distant Threat

Lab safety reports stack up fast: accidental releases during weighing or prepping solutions, ignored glove changes, a single cough during bench mixing. Even outside the lab, minor contamination spreads from handrails and doorknobs. This chemical’s moderate solubility in water means spills blend quickly into mop water and can find their way to skin or mucous membranes. I’ve seen people treat spills with an “it’ll evaporate” mindset—bad logic, since this stuff is far more persistent than volatile solvents.

Health and Environmental Impact

Clinical studies on structurally related beta-blockers show that improper exposure risks health. The parent class impacts heart function and nervous system balance if enough seeps into the body. Animal models have flagged liver and kidney stress after repeated exposure, especially through ingestion or prolonged skin contact. While this compound may not leap out as acutely toxic, chronic effects—often ignored in less-regulated environments—should not be brushed aside. Clean-up is not just about workers. Research chemicals escape into wastewater, and municipal treatment plants rarely filter out such complex organics. That oversight has downstream impacts nobody tracks until cases appear.

Improving Safety Where It Counts

I have seen busy teams take shortcuts and pay for them with afternoons lost to incident reports or unplanned medical checks. Simple changes make the difference: Use closed transfer systems when possible, avoid open spatulas, adopt HEPA-filtered enclosures for weighing, and train users to recognize early symptoms of overexposure, from skin irritation to headaches. Sharper labeling—clear icons and warnings at eye level—stops the casual mistakes before they start.

No one wants red tape for mild chemicals, but the line between “routine” and “danger” blurs fast without rigor. Good habits stick most when leaders walk the walk, showing that safety doesn’t slow down the work. It builds skill and teaches respect, both for the chemical and for every person who shares the lab.

What is the purity and typical appearance of (S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1,2-PROPANEDIOL?

On the Bench: What Does (S)-3-tert-Butylamino-1,2-propanediol Look Like?

Pulling a bottle of (S)-3-tert-butylamino-1,2-propanediol from a shelf in any active chemistry lab, the first thing most folks notice is the material looks a lot like everyday powders. It shows up as a white or nearly white crystalline solid. Sometimes the crystals appear off-white, especially if the container spent a while open to air, but most reputable suppliers deliver it in a form that’s physically clean and easy to measure. Unlike some sticky liquids that drip everywhere or smelly amines that clear the room, this compound stays pretty tame—helpful when you work under a fume hood all day.

Understanding Purity: Numbers that Matter

Purity isn’t just a technical number on a spec sheet. In daily work, purity means the success or failure of a reaction. Most sources offer this compound at 98% or higher purity. Some projects, like asymmetric synthesis or pharmaceutical building blocks, call for 99% or above. Lab catalogs from companies like Sigma-Aldrich or TCI put their material in this range, and that’s what most chemists reach for when doing serious research. Impurities, even at the one-percent level, can scramble results or send chiral synthesis off-track—especially with amines and diols, which play nicely with water but not so much with random organic leftovers.

Why Purity Really Matters

In my own work running chromatograms on specialty intermediates, a clean sample means less headache downstream. Lower-purity batches forced extra time on prep-HPLC, cut product yields, and sometimes even threw off analytical balance when scaling up. In pharmaceutical development, a biochemist won’t even bother testing compounds from a tainted batch since it risks throwing off months of work and regulatory filings. In other words, purity underpins both trust and safety in research, and no one enjoys the fallout of a synthesis that fails right before the deadline.

Real-Life Reasons for Purity Problems

Poor storage conditions and air or moisture exposure mean a white powder can start clumping or yellowing over time. During pandemic supply-chain snarls, I saw lots labeled “analytical grade” but yielding NMR spectra with telltale solvent peaks or stuck with high water content. Sometimes, manufacturers cut corners washing or drying materials, especially for bulk customers buying kilos at a time. The result in practice? Recrystallization or purification steps eat away precious hours or delay critical contracts. Instead of racing through an experimental plan, researchers slog through fixes, wasting time on what should have been a routine job.

Better Results with Simple Solutions

Tight QC gives everyone peace of mind. Only accepting material that comes with a recent certificate of analysis makes a real difference. Running a quick NMR check before heading into synthesis helps spot trouble early—catching off-color batches or solvents that shouldn’t be there. Suppliers keeping their production indoors and following ICH or GMP guidelines build confidence. At the bench, good habits like resealing bottles, using inert gas, and tracking lot numbers protect both purity and safety. Labs working in collaboration or shipping samples worldwide can dodge confusion by sharing full documentation instead of just product codes.

Quality shows up in the final notebook entry, not just in the bottle. A white, crystalline appearance matched with clean analytical spectra stands out as a sign of careful work from start to finish. These little details can mean the difference between wasted effort and a successful discovery.

(S)-3-TERT-BUTYLAMINO-1 2-PROPANEDIOL